It's 2020 vision! The five players who England need for the Euros - and the five current stars they don't
That’s the thing about success. Once you get a taste of it, you’re desperate to know where your next hit of delerium is coming from.
No sooner had Gareth Southgate and his players touched down on English soil than we all demanded to know what’s next.
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Following the euphoria of the World Cup, the whole country is keen to not stand still.
But who are the players coming through, and which of the current squad are now past their sell-by date?
Yahoo Sport has selected five of the team to make way – and the five who need to step in for Euro 2020.
Out: Phil Jones. In: Joe Gomez
Poor old Phil Jones. We know there’s a decent footballer in there somewhere. After all, Sir Alex Ferguson says he’s never been more sure of something in his life.
But sadly, he’s not a central defender. Certainly not to international standards anyway. His deer-in-headlights display against Eden Hazard was proof of that. At 26, this isn’t a young player who will get better with patience.
Joe Gomez certainly is. His displays for Liverpool indicate he’s a young man playing with the maturity of someone five years his senior. If it wasn’t for injury, he would have been in Russia. It’s time to bed him in for the long-term.
Out: Ashley Young. In: Ryan Sessegnon
Did he have a bad World Cup? Not at all. But by the time the Euros come around, the Manchester United man will be 35.
Gareth Southgate’s interview saying he is going to be ruthless going forward will be ringing in the left-back’s ears. Time is not on his side.
Ryan Sessegnon is the closest England have to a next big thing. A strong start for Fulham could see him jettisoned in straight away but in the meantime Southgate has numbers. Danny Rose, Ryan Bertrand and Luke Shaw, providing he leaves Manchester United, provide great competition.
Out: Gary Cahill. In: Michael Keane
We’ve got to be a bit careful here. If England are to continue with three central defenders, we can’t afford to be too cut-throat and too picky.
Gary Cahill is better than Phil Jones, but age doesn’t help his cause. At 32, the Chelsea man must start the season well to be included in the next squad. With talks planned, it could even be over for him before the new campaign begins.
Options in the centre of defence aren’t great. Michael Keane is one of the ones on the edge of things. Everton’s appointment of Marco Silva should help him play the way Southgate wants him to.
Out: Jamie Vardy. In: Leon Bailey
Gasps, yes. Gobs-smacked? Plenty. This is one the football romantics won’t like to read.
Jamie Vardy has been fantastic for Leicester City. If fact he’s one of the Premier League’s greatest ever stories. But he’s just not done the business for England, and appears to be just not quite good enough for the elite level.
Leon Bailey, if you aren’t familiar, is the Bayer Leverkusen boy wonder who is yet to decide where his international future lies. The Jamaica-born forward, 20, has yet to commit to anyone – and could make his decision soon.
Out: Danny Welbeck. In: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
His record is good. Some 16 goals in 40 appearances, most of them from the bench, is very good for a player who is widely seen as a bit of a spare part.
The issue is that Danny Welbeck doesn’t quite offer enough. Playing 11 minutes of the World Cup at 27, when he is supposed to be at his peak, is all the proof you need.
We’re putting forward a re-shuffle. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returns which will free Marcus Rashford up as a striker.